After Little Gay Pub, a beloved gay bar in D.C., was vandalized multiple times, D.C.’s Metropolitan Police has said they have arrested a suspect and are considering hate crime charges.
Nicholas Goldstein, 38, from Northwest D.C., was arrested on Monday following an investigation that linked him to two attacks on the pub, according to a press release from the MPD. Goldstein is accused of spray-painting offensive messages and damaging several images of Harris, which were part of the pub’s exterior display celebrating her 2024 presidential campaign, on September 11 and again on September 21.
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Little Gay Pub is a popular LGBTQ+ bar in Washington, D.C.’s Logan Circle neighborhood. It’s known for its energetic support of Kamala Harris, as well as being a hotspot for celebrities local to D.C. or those just visiting the town. Last fall, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) grabbed a drink and took a selfie in one of the pub’s iconic restrooms.
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Co-owner Dito Sevilla described the most recent incident, which occurred early on Saturday, to The Advocate, “We got a flood of texts and direct messages from passersby showing us that Kamala’s signs had been defaced again.”
“We checked the security footage and saw him between 8:29 and 8:59 a.m., painting X’s over Kamala’s face and writing this bizarre message at a nearby bus stop: ‘Kamala = Hitler, Trump > Hitler.’ It was disturbing, and we immediately called the police.”
The pub has already started to replace the damaged decorations, Sevilla said, “Our good friends at BaseCamp DC are reprinting the signs for us. They’ve been incredibly supportive, and we’re determined to keep putting Kamala’s images up,” he said. “This guy can keep trying to tear them down, but we’ll just put them back up, bigger and better.”
The attack on Little Gay Pub was first vandalized on September 11, when several Harris images were defaced, forcing the pub to have to reinforce the stays.
Sevilla says that the community has been supportive, as have the police. The pub has received messages of support from around the D.C. area. “For every bad actor, there are a hundred people who care about our business and are determined to bring this guy to justice. We’ve basically started a neighborhood watch.”
Sevilla also said Little Gay Pub is staying strong despite the repeated attacks, and they aren’t backing down.
“These decorations will remain up beyond Election Day and well into her presidency. We hope Kamala Harris will stop by and see for herself how much support she has here,” Sevilla stated.
“We’re annoyed and tired of this guy’s nonsense, but we’re not backing down. The more he damages, the more we’ll put up. These images will get larger and more protected, and they’ll be there beyond Election Day when she wins.”
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